Hucking Harkness
by HuckingHarkness
Summary: Ianto Jones finds an interesting news article about another "Harkness". A horse-racing stable is a hot spot for alien activity and the team must go under cover. But will Jack be forgiven for making some grey decisions?
1. Prologue

**Hucking Harkness**

Prologue

_3.30 am Abergelli Farm, Swansea_

Ianto woke the moment his alarm went off and rolling onto his back, rubbed tiredly at the facial hair which lined his face before he sat up in the narrow bed. Throwing off the covers he headed towards the tiny bathroom. Ianto hated having stubble, he thought it looked untidy and felt rough; it was not in keeping with the professional image he projected on a daily basis. Jack Harkness loved Ianto's stubble; loved the fact that for Ianto it was a requirement of his current assignment. Being from the 51st Century, Jack's face was permanently smooth and Ianto was slightly envious. Sighing he switched the light on in the bathroom, still scratching at his chin.

Once he'd woken himself up with some cold water on his face, he made the bed and dressed quickly, in the near darkness of the early morning. He wore long johns, black jods and a warm green sweater, over several more layers. Ianto paused and upon hearing nothing from below him, quickly checked the well hidden PDA for messages from the team, sending a brief update and a good morning greeting.

Once he'd pulled two pairs of long, boot socks on Ianto crept down the stairs of the semi-converted barn, carrying his well worn, scuffed and muddy boots. Jack had quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at Ianto when he'd first seen them, emerge from Ianto's attic; surprised that the young man could own something that was not pristine as the day it'd been bought. Ianto met Billy on his way out and greeted the small man with a silent nod and tight smile. The pair of them made their way together to the main stable block, joining Jenny who was already almost there. The young woman greeted them with a grin and bright eyes, chattering ten to the dozen despite the early hour. Her energy was contagious, and soon they were all in high spirits as they prepared the mounts on the board for warm-ups today.

Ianto was assigned Blue Dancer, Swansea Lee and Sunshine Sweetheart. Quickly he had all three tacked up and was starting to muck out their stalls as he listened to the familiar sounds around him. Gareth's tuneless whistling from the third stall down, a tune which Ianto found strangely calming; the stamping hooves of hungry mounts, probably Red the stallion; and Wynn's grunts of frustration in the stall next door where he was struggling with Hucking Harkness, who was, as usual, refusing the bit and dancing circles round the old groom. The stubborn horse was definitely living up to the name Ianto decided with a secret smile. His expression turned briefly to one of longing, he missed Jack.

Out on the track Ianto met Mr Llewellyn, the trainer for his instructions. "Jones. Mornin', sleep well?" Ianto nodded, "Ye're mounting Harkness today." _If only the man understood the irony of his words..._ "Jus' breeze her round and at 20 furlongs give 'er her head."

"Yes sir," Ianto answered, turning quickly away. He raised his left boot for a leg up to his dancing mount as the older man ducked under the fence line, muttering and shaking his head. But there was a smile on his face- he liked the polite Jones boy. Bryn, one of the grooms, easily hoisted Ianto into the saddle and quickly re-adjusted the girth while Jenny held Harkness' head. She threw it in the air, snorting impatiently before they both stepped away, a quick reassuring pat to his calf.

Ianto stood and checked his stirrups before nudging the big horse forward into a canter and settled in the saddle as he turned on the track, murmuring gentle words to calm his mount before gathering her up and pushing her forward into a gallop. Hucking Harkness soon settled into her stride, head coming down, focussing on what she was being asked to do.

On the furthest side of the track, hidden behind a line of convenient shrubs, Jack and Owen sat in the black SUV in silence. Jack had a pair of binoculars trained on the frisky bay horse that was just starting to warm up on the gallops. The Captain couldn't be sure from this distance if it really was Ianto riding, but Jack was fairly certain it was him. No-one else could pull-off the dark green polo-neck sweater and black jodhpurs combination so well, he thought lecherously. Jack's attention was pulled away from Ianto's raised, and fast retreating ass, by Owen, who snorted awake and elbowed him grumpily. "Just 'cause you're not getting any..." Jack growled, training the binoculars back on the horse and rider in the distance. They seemed to flow effortlessly across the track together and Jack was almost envious of the exhilarating speed and adrenaline rush Ianto must be feeling.

As the horse rounded the second bend in the furthest side of the track, he neared another, this one a dark brown, almost black horse, skittering along the outside edge of the turf; the rider was struggling to hold him back as the Bay flew past, but managed eventually to get him to settle in a brisk trot, only dancing sideways occasionally. Jack focussed once more back on the rider of the bay, which was now coming rapidly towards him, confirming it was indeed Ianto on board. As he watched, Jack saw Ianto glance across to the trainer whose hand had just gone up. The young man moved his own hands further forward along the horse's neck and Jack saw his lips move silently. The big bay responded instantly with a further burst of speed and Ianto grinned, loving the feel of the powerful mare beneath him. Jack caught the expression before a second later, horse and rider flew past the SUV, just a dark brown flash accompanied by pounding hooves.

TBC

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_Well, this is the first bit! Let me know what you think? I'm afraid chapter updates will be stuttered until I have more regular access to the internet. I will be getting wireless soon, but I have nada for now. R&R? Carrie; )_


	2. Chapter 1

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 1

_7.30 am The Hub_

Ianto Jones sat down in the old chair in the tourist information centre, opening a newspaper and resting it on the desk as much as possible in the confined space. The foot of the page slipped down towards his lap in defiance of his wish. He scrolled the headlines. Hearing the name Harkness in the horse race news on the radio as he drove into work that morning, he'd paused at a 24hr Express and bought a copy of the _Racing Post_. He was now browsing through it in search of the reference.

_Harkness_ wasn't an entirely unique surname, not as Jack would like to think, but it was uncommon enough for the name to come up in print or news, so Ianto had to check it out. It was his job to ensure each member of the team remained as anonymous as possible. Jack was probably the most difficult member of the team when it came to this task, since Jack loved nothing more than to introduce himself to strangers. Despite his non-status, his name was probably better known than the members of the Welsh Senate. Except Margaret Blaine Ianto conceded, she had made quite a name for herself before her mysterious disappearance a few years ago.

Ianto was drawn away from skimming the second and third pages of his newspaper by the entry of two of his team mates. Gwen was in early if she'd managed to arrive at the same time as Tosh, he mused. Perhaps having the afternoon and evening off yesterday was the reason. "Morning Ianto!" She called brightly, before leading the way through the secret door he'd opened for the pair. He smiled and inclined his head in greeting. Tosh gave her own quiet greeting in the return of the smile and a wave, before striking up a conversation with Gwen that they had clearly been discussing previously. Owen would not be in for at least another hour Ianto surmised, watching the secret door seal fully, before returning to his paper. As soon as he'd read it he would go and make the first coffees of the day. Jack had left a little earlier to source breakfast pastries and would be back soon.

Turning to page four Ianto immediately found what he was looking for.

A large colour photograph of a big bay horse captioned with the headline _Harkness Beats All Odds to Win at Newmarket _took up a large portion of the page. Ianto smoothed the page on the desk and started to read the full article. It wasn't until towards the end of a formal interview with the race horse owner that Ianto found anything suspicious, unless you counted an unlikely winner to the race. The reporter, Brian Fleming, was doing a mini question and answer session and one of the answers given definitely caught Ianto's attention. Fleming had asked how the name Hucking Harkness was chosen, as this could indicate where the success came from. The owner had reportedly laughed, before replying "She's named after an alien hunter in Cardiff! And as to our Harkness' success, well that's a well kept secret!" By the time he'd read the full answer given, Ianto's expressive eyebrows were nearing his hairline. It was definitely something to show Jack, Ianto thought, turning to the computer and running a brief search on the horse, stables and owner to place in a temporary case folder. While he was at it, he set a programme to running to alert him of further mentions.

After finding nothing of further interest in the newspaper, Ianto gathered the relevant sheet, placing it carefully in the new case file he'd created and made his way to the central Hub, towards the coffee machine. On his way past the workstations, Ianto spotted the telltale brown paper bag on the coffee table by the sofa, the remaining pastries inside and the shirt clad shoulders of his boss alluding to his presence up in his office. Ianto left the bag where it was for now, knowing that between them Gwen and Owen would soon scoff the remnants as breakfast. Ianto quickly made the coffees and with them on a tray and the case file under one arm, he made his way smoothly through the hub, distributing a coffee to Gwen and Tosh respectively, before ascending Jack's lair.

Jack glanced up as Ianto entered his office, shutting the file he'd just finished reading and placing in to the side for Ianto to sort later. The young man placed his coffee very deliberately on a coaster and Jack grinned. He loved winding Ianto up by not using the coaster. Sometimes Jack would deliberately place his empty mug to the left of the coaster for Ianto to collect. He met Ianto's steady gaze with a twinkle of amusement in his own. Until Ianto placed a folder in the centre of his desk that is, then his expression grew more serious.

"It would seem you're very popular in the horse racing world this morning, sir."

"Oh yes?"

"Or at least your namesake. '_Hucking Harkness strikes again, winning the Newmarket Stakes_-" Ianto paused as Jack opened his mouth, a look of excitement dancing in his blue eyes.

"Wait a second- I have a horse named after me?" Ianto deadpanned.

"It's quite common, Sir. In fact we all have, Cooper's Pride, Scarper Harper..." Jack snorted at that one. When it looked like Ianto wasn't going to mention himself Jack asked.

"What about 'Jones'?"

"Smarty Jones, won the Derby in 2004." Ianto cleared his throat, "But we are digressing, sir."

Jack reached for the folder Ianto had prepared, found the article he had quoted and skim read it for himself. Upon reaching the lines Ianto had highlighted carefully as particularly relevant, his own eyebrows shot upwards. "Alien Hunter in Cardiff? Sounds a little close to home," Jack mused, before making up his mind and snapping the file closed. "Keep an eye on it for me, if there's any further interest or the name thing goes any further I wanna know, but for now I think it could be brushed off as a joke."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

"Think you could maybe enhance the idea the bloke was kidding around? Drop a few hints on the web and such like?" Ianto nodded and was just exiting when an alarm sounded from Tosh's workstation. Jack pounced for the door, Ianto allowing him to pass before following at a more steady pace. "What we got Tosh?" asked Jack as he made his way to her desk, where Tosh was looking at the readout on one of her many screens.

"It's a signal or something. Like a chemical leak, except some of the compounds are alien. I'm not sure," replied Tosh, tapping away at her keyboard.

"What's the location?" Asked Gwen, joining in the search.

"Abergelli Farm, in… _Swansea?"_

Gwen paused, fingers hovering above the keyboard. "But- I thought the Rift only went as far as Cardiff?" she asked, looking to Jack for an explanation to this seemingly new development.

"It does-" Jack started, with a frown.

"That's the farm in this file, Sir." Ianto interjected, looking up to meet Jack's gaze, the file from Jack's desk open in his hands.

"Are you telling me that a racing yard in _Swansea, _of all places, is not only naming their horse after me, but they're on a possible alien chemical hot spot?" Jack asked.

"Well kids, this whole thing just got interesting..." Jack stated, slowly meeting the gaze of each member on his team, the mystery lightening his expression.

TBC

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Just a quickie folks- do people like references to other episodes/ Dr Who? I recently noticed it in the TW novels & thought I'd try it. Let me know what you think? Carrie x


	3. Chapter 2

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living, dead or undead is... mostly coincidental.

* * *

"_Are you telling me this racing yard in Swansea is on an alien hotspot?"_

Jack gave the order for Gwen to research the place with assistance from Ianto, since they needn't repeat his previous work, Tosh would look into the layout and security and Owen would look at the chemical side, "Meeting in the boardroom, two hours." Jack stated, before withdrawing to his office and his coffee, leaving his team to their work.

-T-

Two hours later the team assembled in the board room, with Jack taking the head of the table as usual. "Okay, so we've got an alien chemical, potentially dangerous and a horse trainer who knows a little too much about us. What else can you tell me?" asked Jack, surveying the team in front of him.

"Owen."

Owen hauled himself almost reluctantly out of his seat, stabbing at the controls for the central screen, "Well I managed to get a chemical profile for this stuff- it's not lethal, as far as I can tell; though some of the elements are not on our database so what effect it will have on the body I really dunno. I can't replicate the substance to test it, so unless we have a sample..." he trailed off with a shrug, looking at Jack. Jack frowned briefly at the screen, where a chemical breakdown of the substance was currently displayed. Something about it looked familiar, but the 'unknown' chemicals in the compound, meant he was struggling to fill in the gaps and establish what that specific mix of chemicals might do. He pushed it to the back of his mind, it would come to him.

"So basically you're saying we need to get in there? Tosh, is that possible? What's the access like?"

Tosh pulled up a 3D schematic of the area, highlighting various sections that were relevant as she addressed the room at large. "This is the location of the farm on the outskirts of the city. Despite the large expanses of private open space surrounding the place, their security is state of the art; they really don't like anyone near the main complex. In theory though, we should be able to get near enough for a sample, since the chemical is in a secluded field."

"Okay and Gwen, Ianto? What have you got?"

Ianto took the floor and clicking an image of the Abergelli Farm website onto the screen, he proceeded to give succinct details on the horses there, the number of grooms and finally, popping a mug-shot onscreen, a low down on the owner and trainer. "Mr B. Llewelyn; race horse owner and trainer for many years. His business was on the rocks and his reputation was mud. Bryce was heading for trouble with the banks- until just a few months ago when suddenly business picked up. He's now one of the most well known trainers in the country for turning out unlikely winners and is paid accordingly."

"So what's brought on the sudden winning streak?" asked Jack, "and does it have anything to do with our alien chemical…" he mused, going back to the chemical which was still somehow familiar. "Owen, can you bring up that graph again? The analysis you made of the compounds." Owen started jabbing buttons on the central console before Tosh reached over to assist and the graph was restored to the screen. "Does it look familiar?" she asked Jack after a pause. The Captain seemed to be looking through the screen rather than at it, his fingers tapping idly as he thought. "Do you recognise what it does, Jack?" asked Gwen.

Suddenly, it clicked and Jack sat up with a start, "Yeah. Yeah I do. It's a stimulant used on some of the Pleasure Planets, think Duracell bunny-" he was gesticulating with his hands, "-only this is like ten times more potent and it has a number of nasty side effects. If it is this stuff, we really need to contain it, before it gets outta hand- it's a highly addictive agent, and unfortunately, under the right conditions, it'll proliferate."

"What are the right conditions? Could it already be expanding?"

"Oh yeah- it just needs a liquid substance to bind with. It was mandatory in the drinks at some of the less reputable clubs, longer you leave your drink, the stronger the agent to liquid ratio became." Jack paused.

"I don't get it- what liquid do you get in a field?" asked Gwen, looking confused. Ianto suppressed an eye-roll, sighing softly instead but Owen, never having much self restraint himself, looked at Gwen scathingly before stating in a highly patronising tone, that they were in _Wales_, where it did in fact _rain;_ "-it never bloody stops raining! How can you not notice?!" The penny dropped and Gwen's face visibly cleared in understanding, flushing softly in embarrassment before her eyes widened; "You mean..."

Jack ignored the conversation going on around him, instead considering his options before coming to a decision and gaining the attention of the team once more. "Okay, Owen you're with me, we'll see if we can't get a sample or at least a better reading. Tosh- think you could adapt a scanner for long range? We'd best check this chemical's only in the one field and we don't want to raise suspicion just yet by stepping on toes." Tosh nodded and left, already starting her assigned task on her hand held PDA as she walked. "Ianto, Gwen, I need to know more about this guy, Llewelyn, see what you can dig up- include friends and possible ways we could get in covertly if necessary."

"Jack?" Jack met Ianto's reticent gaze, "I have a contact in Cardiff, he runs his own stables and might know something about Llewelyn, at least by reputation. I could ask?"

"Fine, you okay to do that on your own?" At the Welshman's nod, Jack exited the room, meeting Owen who was now waiting impatiently at the cog door, black holdall over one shoulder.

Very soon the team were going their separate ways, Ianto out towards the tourist office, after speaking briefly with Gwen and Tosh, who were settling at their work stations. Ianto pulled his phone out of a pocket as he left them, scrolling through the vast address book, past names of various UNIT officials and members of parliament before reaching the name he wanted.

"Dafydd. It's Ianto Jones, how are you...?"

TBC

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_Wehey, hope you are still enjoying this, despite the random posting times. Good news is, I now have wireless internet! Woo! lol Next bit up soon!  
Carrie; ) _


	4. Chapter 3

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 3

_11:30 am Llanmihange Farm, Caerdydd_

Ianto stepped out of the black taxicab on the outskirts of Cardiff, raising a hand in greeting at the portly gentleman approaching. He was a cheerful, middle aged gentleman, tufts of grey hair showing to the sides of the tweed cap he wore, matching the coat and complementing his beige breeches. The well dressed look was off-set by the pair of scuffed, black wellington boots the trainer wore.

Ianto smiled, aside from the grey hair and a few more lines on his weathered face, Dafydd Brace looked exactly the same as when Ianto had first met him, many years before. "Ianto, son how are you? You're looking well. Found yourself a normal job in an office somewhere I see. Shame, shame. You know I always said you were too smart for a job mucking out, though how you never seemed to get as mucky as the others I'll never know." Dafydd laughed, continuing to talk, and Ianto relaxed, allowing himself to be led towards the stable blocks.

As Mr Brace spoke, Ianto took in the familiar surroundings, breathing the rich, heady scent of hay and horse manure that permeated the air. It had only been about six years since Ianto had last worked here part time, as a groom and warm-up jockey in his youth, but those years felt like a life time away now. So much had happened since he'd come here, young and fresh faced, eager to work for a meagre wage and enjoy the outdoors. He'd tried to keep up his outdoor excursions with Lisa, taking her hiking in Brecon and camping, but all possible enjoyment he may have once had from the outdoors, came to an abrupt close after his last disastrous experience in the Brecon Beacons. He gave an involuntary shudder at the memory before focussing his attention back on the man beside him who had stopped before a large loose box. "Here he is, Prima Ballerina! Think you could work some of your old magic for me?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Asked Ianto, wondering just how much of the conversation he'd missed.

Jack meanwhile, was driving at his usual expeditious pace, despite the lesser need for haste on this occasion. "Bloody Hell Jack!" cried Owen, gripping to the dashboard for dear life, his knuckles showing white as his boss wove his way recklessly through the late morning traffic, mounting the curb sporadically. "I'd like to get there in one piece if you don't mind and according to Tosh the chemical's not going anywhere!" Jack just grinned, turning his gaze away from the road ahead and meeting Owen's wide eyes for a little too long, before swinging swiftly onto the motorway a horn blaring behind him.

Ianto had no idea how he had been persuaded to do this. He was currently sitting astride the delicately refined Prima Ballerina, while Dafydd and one of the younger grooms watched from the outside perimeter of the enclosure, Dafydd pointing out the natural ease with which Ianto had settled the skittish stallion.

When he'd been riding for about twenty minutes Dafydd finally motioned Ianto over, so his young jockey, Haydn could have a go. Exchanging places with the groom, Ianto gave the lad a leg-up before he joined Dafydd behind the wooden post fencing, chatting idly about the horse in front of them and its potential on the race circuit. Gently, Ianto managed to steer the conversation round to what he really wanted to talk to Brace about, with the ease of someone well practised in controlling conversations.

"Llwelyn? What do you want to know about him for, Ianto? He's bad news that one. I'd steer clear if I were you."

"Bad news- in what way?"

"He was being investigated for horse-doping. Of course they never found any evidence mind, but if you ask me it was obvious. If you're looking for a job..."

"No! No, I…" Ianto paused, not sure what he could get away with saying, but at the same not wanting to lie outright to an old friend. "I'm… in- investigating him," he replied slowly, with measured words. "So- Can you help? What do you know about him?" Dafydd looked at Ianto for a moment, measuring up his words before seemingly accepting the explanation; he shrugged and began telling Ianto what he knew, watching Haydn circle the majestic black stallion.

"I only know what's going round, and what I seen with me own eyes- the horses are just not the same when he gets them on the race track. Saw it at Newmarket yesterday." Mr Brace turned his attention momentarily back on the horse and rider, "That's it Haydn, you've got him well settled now." He turned back to Ianto, without missing a beat, "Let's go inside for lunch and I'll tell you what I know."

Jack and Owen made the rest of the way on foot, having parked the SUV inconspicuously along the fence line before scaling said fence and entering a substantial field. The sensors Tosh had adjusted were picking up the nearest source in the middle of the large field, and so they approached this first, placing gas masks over their faces when they drew nearer. The gas was easily visible, rising in a single, purple-tinted gaseous fountain, out of a small hole in the ground. It was eerie, with what looked like dry ice rising through a water-fountain.

"Looks like it's found a water source." Jack commented over their coms. It was entirely unaffected by the brisk wind which blew across the area, looking very alien.

Owen quickly collected enough for a sample.

Next the pair of them extended the search radii to pick up any more of the gas in the surrounding area, and picked up faint traces of the organic material, in what appeared to be a shed near the stable block, but nowhere else. Tosh's research however, proved correct and there was no way they could get near enough to the building to check out this source without being caught by security. So the pair returned to the SUV and back to Cardiff. On the way, Jack discussed his options with Owen and they decided once Owen had tested and confirmed what this stuff did, they would reconvene in the boardroom to see about getting into the farm.

"I'll drop you off and collect Ianto."

Dafydd and Ianto had just finished a light lunch and were still discussing Llwelyn. "I've got one of his in now, pretty little filly- tendon strain. He won't keep a horse not earning it's keep. He works them too hard too soon, so there's horses I end up taking over. It doesn't do my business much good. Owner's not interested much, just sent _Rain Dancer_ here to recover before he sells her on. Jackson's just started light work on her, you wanna see?"

At Ianto's nod the pair made their way towards a circular corral where a beautiful golden filly with two white socks and a white stocking up her near hind, was just being attached to a lunge line and circling a groom who stood in the centre of the ring. Ianto watched as the groom, Jackson, encouraged the horse to change gaits, walk to canter and down to trot, only for her to go into a canter again. It was fascinating to watch just how responsive she was.

Ianto felt a little envious, wanting to experience that for himself. He started when Dafydd laughed softly beside him, "I know that look well, Ianto." Ianto flushed, he hadn't realised he was being that obvious. "You can have a go if you like- just a short go mind, but she'd do well with you," Dafydd continued.

TBC

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_Right, so this was gonna be a really, really long chapter by comparison to the others, if I hadn't split it here, (like twice the length...) So I'll post the next bit soon! BTW _'Caerdydd' is Welsh for Cardiff, for those who don't know_; )_


	5. Chapter 4

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 4

Upon arrival at the hub, Jack was immediately dispatched after a weevil which had been picked up on CCTV wondering an abandoned warehouse. Gwen, who had been stuck in the Hub all day and was itching to get out, accompanied him. "What's the plan?" asked Gwen, as they neared the docks. Jack described a split up and search plan, he and Ianto had perfected, before telling Gwen to alert him should she see or hear anything.

They split up at the large loading doors to the warehouse. The place looked like it had once been a freezing facility, as now the blacked out space was filled with tall walk-in freezers, the doors on some ajar and the plastic curtains designed to keep the cold in fluttering restlessly. Catching on the breeze that was coming through the now open door where the pair stood. Eyes adjusting to the dark interior. After about forty-five seconds the pair moved off, Jack going right and Gwen left, carefully stalking through the darkness, torches low, checking each of the large fridges as they went.

Nearing a particularly long, narrow one, Gwen thought she heard a slight rustle, followed by the scratching of too-long claws on a metal surface. She paused to listen, before raising her gun and, senses attuned to the slightest disturbance, approached the opening of the chamber, her heart rate increasing until Gwen was sure it would interfere with her hearing. She was straining to see across the dark expanse so hard that she missed the slight step up into the fridge, her foot catching the lip instead.

With a surprised yelp, Gwen tripped and flew forward, whacking her chin hard, on the cold metal floor. Her finger, already on the sensitive trigger of her firearm, accidentally squeezed off a bullet, which hit one side of the metal walls and shot loudly round the crate, before finally lodging itself into the flesh of the weevil. The impact of her fall caused Gwen to split her lip and blood dripped in her mouth and dribbled down her chin as she lay dazed and gasping, trying to collect herself.

The sound of a gunshot, a bullet hitting metal and bouncing around an enclosed space reached Jack's ears, followed by a weevil howling, from the direction Gwen had gone. Jack tapped the coms open, calling to Gwen. He could hear her breathing across the line but she didn't respond. Jack took off across the warehouse, following the sound of the injured weevil and hoping it didn't find Gwen before he could.

He was wrong. By the time he reached the relevant freezer, the weevil had latched onto Gwen's arm and she was weakly trying to fend it off in her dazed and bloodied state. Jack took careful aim and fired, his Webley shot echoing loudly in the confined space, but the bullet staying lodged in the now dead body of the Weevil.

Jack knelt down beside Gwen, gently rolling her onto her back, noting the way she had one bloody arm gripped to her chest and her face covered in blood, just beginning to clot. "Gwen? Come on, speak to me sweetheart." Jack brushed dark hair off her face so he could see it more clearly. As he did so Gwen moaned and rolled her head to the side, spitting blood from her mouth and groaning. "Gwen honey, what happened?" asked Jack, keeping his voice level and calm, "I heard your gun go off."

"Tribbed" came Gwen's voice with a burble.

"You tripped?"

"Mmm."

Jack tapped his coms, "Owen!" he called, continuing as soon as he had a response from the medic, "We're on our way back. Gwen's split her lip or something, maybe a nose bleed and she's got a nasty bite on her arm. I'll try stem the flow before we get in. Call Rhys to come pick her up will you? I don't think she should drive."

Jack returned to the hub less than 15 minutes later, leading a still groggy Gwen Cooper, arm round her shoulders. As soon as Gwen had been stitched and bandaged up, and he returned from sorting the dead weevil, Jack sent her home. "Owen, send me your initial report on the alien gas, and go home now. You too Tosh. Save the test results for the boardroom tomorrow. Ianto called earlier, I'm just gonna go pick him up."

"Not looking like that you're not!" Retorted Owen. It was only when he looked pointedly at Jack's attire, that the Captain realised there was blood spattered on his collar and across his shirt. "Damn and I didn't even injure myself this time!" Jack headed up to his office, stripping off his shirt and the white tee beneath along the way, so that by the time he reached the bin in his office, both ruined garments could be disposed of. Heading down into his bunker, Jack quickly changed into a clean, dark blue shirt before he set the rift to remote alert and left in the SUV, heading for Ianto's location.

He arrived just in time to see the young man swing into the saddle of a pretty looking horse, wearing an old pair of jeans and a helmet- a far cry from the suit and tie he'd left the office wearing that morning. He approached quietly watching Ianto, who looked right at home in the saddle. The young man was yet to notice Jack, who remained stationary, watching.

A sudden gust of wind caught Jack's greatcoat, causing it to flap out behind him. Ianto noticed his mount's ears flicker at the sound and glancing up, spotted Jack. Jack stopped where he was, wrapping the coat tightly round himself to stop it flapping so much, before joining Ianto and his friend at the fence. Ianto presented the reins back to a stable hand before coming over and introducing his friend as Dafydd Brace.

"I'll… just go get changed, sir."

"Take you're time-" Jack shrugged "you're off duty. I sent the others home." As Ianto walked away, he turned back to watch the golden filly in the ring who was rolling happily in the sand, having been untacked for the day. Her three pale hooves and single dark one floundered towards the sky, before she stood, shaking the dust from her golden hide. Jack made small talk with Dafydd until Ianto returned, dressed in his pristine suit and tie once more.

"Shall we go, Cariad?" asked Ianto softly, subconsciously touching Jack's arm. He had noticed the shirt was different. He turned back to his friend, raising his voice a little, "Dafydd, thank you, your information will be most useful and I've had a wonderful day." Ianto gave him a genuine smile, extending his hand. Dafydd shook his hand, before pulling Ianto into a brief hug, patting his back.

"Anytime Ianto Jones, and the job offer still stands, though I probably have less perks," smiled Dafydd, having noticed their now clasped hands and watched the soft looks the two men had exchanged between them, as well as Ianto's quiet endearment. He chuckled as Ianto flushed prettily once more.

TBC

Okay folks, so that's the kind of 'second half' to chapter three. Please do take the time to review if you would? I love to hear from you all, and any con-crit is welcome! Carrie; )


	6. Chapter 5

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 5

_9.30 am The Hub_

"Right." Jack started, "To round things up: Owen's chemical gas could be what's making these ponies run faster, so we really should get in there and destroy this stuff; Tosh hasn't found a simple, yet discreet way in, but on the other hand Ianto has a pretty good work up on this Llwelyn fella. Gwen how you doing? You feeling better?" Gwen nodded gently, giving him a soft smile. It was the following morning and having read everyone's reports the night before, Jack had pooled all their latest findings together. "Okay team, ideas? We need to get to this stuff before it gets really out of hand."

"We could sabotage the security systems so he needs to call people in to fix it?" Gwen suggested. She was always first to offer something in the way of an idea, and though it wasn't always the best one, it seemed to spur the others into making their own suggestions, (or provoke a scathing dismissal from Owen). However he was slumped in his chair, silent this morning.

"Coming from an ex-cop, Gwen Cooper I'm surprised at you!" But Jack was grinning, "Anything else? Anyone?" raising an eyebrow, his eyes fell expectantly on Ianto, who shrugged. "Stables are always recruiting warm-up jockeys and grooms, especially now that the school holidays are over." He met Jack's gaze, "One of us could get in that way-"

"Thought you might say that! Well done for volunteering!" Jack beamed.

"W-What?!" Ianto stuttered, seeming to sit up straighter in his chair, if that was possible.

"I saw you yesterday, you've done this before."

-T-

Ianto slipped into the tourist information centre, reaching lithely across the edge of the desk for the innocuous button he knew lay beneath it. The knitted burgundy jumper he wore, rode up as he stretched, barely hiding the tone beneath. Upon entering the lift down, Ianto swallowed nervously, fisting his fingers at his sides and tugging the waist of the jumper down. He felt untidy. He'd never entered the hub in such a dressed down state. _Unless you counted when he was naked,_ he supposed. Before he was lost in those memories however, the heavy metal door opened, bringing him promptly back to the present as the alarms sounded his entrance.

No chance of being shy or subtle in Torchwood. But with Jack as his boss that was surely a given anyway, he thought wryly. "Morning Ianto!" The man boomed, his voice carrying down from the gantry above, where he was making his way to his office, a file open in his hands. _If he's been in my archives..._

All eyes were drawn to Ianto as he stood there and he glanced down at the sports watch that was currently on his slim wrist, as a distraction. Later than his usual time, but before Owen had arrived. Good, at least maybe he'd have the chance to slip away before the medic arrived. The last thing he needed was the doctor commenting on his weight- he'd taken his role undercover very seriously and was in the process of training with Dafydd to get himself properly fit. Being a warm up jockey, although not as strenuous as a race jockey, still required him to be several stone lighter than average and Owen was bound to be a pain about it.

He made his way over to the coffee machine, making one for each member of the team present, before taking his own and Jack's to the older man's office for some privacy. "You've lost weight," Jack said, without looking up as Ianto placed the familiar blue and white striped mug on his desk.

"All part of the job description, sir. Was there anything else you wanted this morning, only I have a gym appointment before luncheon."

"Soon as Owen gets in, we'll have our final brief-"

Just then, Owen walked into the Hub, setting off the usual door alarm. Ianto looked up, catching Owen scowling back at the alarm, hands covering his ears and hurried to get the medic a coffee and aspirin. Owen had clearly enjoyed himself last night, Ianto just hoped he wouldn't give the rest of the team a hard time, just because he had a hang-over from hell.

Jack stood at the head of the table and clapped his hands for the attention of his team, causing Owen to wince and Gwen to snap her mouth shut, mid sentence and swivel in her seat to look expectantly up at him. She made a comical sight with the remains of butterfly stitches across her chin. Tosh had only half been paying attention to Gwen's story and had already noticed their boss strolling into the room, keen to start. "I've called a final meeting to go through everybody's roles on this assignment, before Ianto goes undercover this afternoon..." Jack proceeded to give them all the usual 'do's and don't's' before turning to the team's youngest member.

"Ianto- as of tomorrow you are-?"

"At Abergelli Farm, Swansea. Running close range scans and analysis, general surveillance and feedback from the inside, whilst playing warm-up jockey for Llewelyn." Jack nodded.

"Gwen, have you finished your report from yesterday yet? You'll need to keep on top of things while we're one man down; as will the rest of you. Owen, that means pulling your weight: reports completed, rubbish in the bin and empty coffee mugs at least in the sink. Clear?" Jack held a stern gaze, ensuring each received the message, before dismissing them all, "Right that's it kids."

Later that afternoon Ianto disembarked from a taxi at the imposing looking gates of Abergelli Farm. Announcing himself through a state-of-the-art inter-com system, he was met at the gate by the head groom. "Jones, you're early. Get settled quickly and you can start the night feed." Cledwin led him towards the stable complex, "The boss doesn't accept slacking, so I hope you're prepared to work for your duration here." At Ianto's 'yes, sir' the older man gave him an odd look before ordering one of the grooms, Billy, who was sweeping the yard to show him his room.

"Dinner's at seven thirty, breakfast, six. Lunch is sandwiches and the time depends which shift you're on. We start evening feed in twenty minutes." Billy rattled off. Ianto nodded, making a mental note before hefting his bag onto the narrow single bed and beginning to unpack. He found a suitable nook for his hand-held computer last, before collapsing back on the bed, eyes closed. He didn't rest long. Instead making it down to the stables with five minutes to spare, meeting the grooms and their mounts as they brought various horses in from the fields.

TBC

Thank you everyone for all your reviews; especially cjh4ever, who is forever an encouragement and a distraction (your stories are good!), Wishingwell44 (your review for ch4 had me giggling for ages) & most recently Jessie Blackwood, whose opinion was useful & whose stories are also very good at distracting me lol; if you hadn't have reviewed I may never have found them!  
Thanks guys  
; ) Carrie


	7. Chapter 6

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 6

_Abergelli Farm, Swansea_

Very early the next morning, Ianto was awake before his alarm. Taking a few seconds to remember where he was, he decided to stay where he was and enjoy the silence of the early morning until the alarm went off. He was dozing lightly when it finally beeped, so he rolled over to switch it off and started to prepare for the day. It looked to be fairly cool outside the small window, so Ianto took a spare jacket along with his tall boots and an extra pair of long socks.

Deciding this would be a good opportunity to explore the area, Ianto also put in the pair of Torchwood contact lenses while he was in the bathroom, linking up with Jack, who was the only one manning the hub at this time in the morning. Ianto didn't blame the others for making the most of the early morning to sleep- they were after all, trying to run Torchwood without his coffee. The lenses focused themselves, and Ianto blinked until he could see his own reflection staring back at him.

_Gorgeous! _

Ianto grinned at his reflection, before winking and walking back into the bedroom. The message faded, to be replaced by another.

_Miss ur coffee -J_

Ianto rolled his eyes as he read the message, knowing Jack would recognise the motion. He received a cheeky wink in response. Before Jack could get distracted any further however, Ianto brought him back to the matter at hand, exiting his sleeping quarters and creeping as silently as possible down the stairs. He took his time, making a mental note of which of the stairs creaked and where, until he could scale them in silence.

_Bored! Lets go explore?!_

Ianto laughed softly before exiting, he could just picture the childlike excitement that would be on Jack's face and sparkling in his eyes, at the thought of the mini adventure.

The barns were quiet in the crisp morning half-light, but it wouldn't last long, he knew. Ianto skirted the outside of each barn, looking at everything, hands deep in his pockets. It was far colder at this time in the morning than it had looked from his bedroom's window; and although Ianto could occasionally be found awake at this hour, he was usually 'weevil hunting' and chasing weevils with Jack. Neither was ever a cold past time for the pair! Besides, Jack himself radiated heat.

Tracing the final wall, Ianto walked briskly across the open space between the last outbuilding and the shed. This was the spot where Jack and Owen had registered a spike in the long range readings. Wind buffeted him as he crossed the open space, whipping away the mist his breath made on the chilled morning air. He had just reached the shed, changing gait to amble casually towards the side with the door, when someone called out.

"Hey, what are you doin'?"

Ianto turned slowly, letting his eyes sweep the various locks on the sturdy door and the surveillance camera pointing towards the entrance. _"Paranoid or what?"_ he muttered. "Hello!" He said brightly, meeting the hazel eyes of the man in front of him. "Jones. I'm supposed to be starting today."

"Eh, righ' well, whatcha doin' here then?" Asked the man. He was dressed similar to Ianto himself and spoke with a soft Yorkshire accent.

"Just looking 'round the place. Is this the feed room?" Ianto gestured the door he'd just been looking at. It was a feasible question, feed rooms were often separate from the main stable blocks and a lock wasn't uncommon, though the heavy bolts were unusual.

"Nah, feed's tha' way." He pointed to the first door on a small block nearest them, Ianto knew there was a hay store and tack room in the same complex. "Bu' they all gets measured by Mr Llwelyn hisself or Cledwin. It's Brendan, by the way, Bren for short." He held out his hand and Ianto grasped it firmly in his own hand. "You wan'ta get started then?" Asked Bren, leading the way back up to the main stable block. Reluctantly Ianto followed, glancing back for one last view of the sturdy shed.

Jack sent him a _'Good job'_ message before leaving his lover to get on with the day.

Just as Owen traipsed into the hub through the cog door that morning, the rift monitor went off. The alarm on the door, clashing loudly with that being emitted from Tosh's computer. She ignored it, and chose instead to focus on what had come through. Until Jack came out of his office and bellowed across the hub.

"TURN IT OFF!" he boomed. He was not in the best mood. Having suffered coffee withdrawal for several hours, he'd finally succumbed to the draw of Starbuck's coffee and reminded himself, rudely, exactly why he had grown to hate the stuff. There was just no comparison to Ianto's brew. "Thank you!" He sighed, as Tosh finally cancelled the alarm, "Now, what have we got?" He made his way to the workstations, leaning over Tosh's shoulder to see the screen.

"It's a Rift opening. Hang on..." She hacked into the CCTV of the location and they were just in time to see what looked like a large jelly fish extract itself from the bay and expire on the water's edge. "Ooh, what's that?" queried Gwen, freeze framing an image of the creature on her own screen, in time for Owen to see it as he reached his own desk. "That!" said Jack dramatically, "was once a prized possession!" He shrugged, "Ah well, no good to the owners now, come on kids! Owen, bring a waterproof anatomy bag and some long gloves, these fellas are sticky."

- T -

By lunch time, Ianto was grateful for the huge pile of BLT and cheese and pickle sandwiches delivered to the barn. He had the early shift. Being the first up that morning, he'd been assigned to the early meals shift. Ianto had removed the contacts during his mid-morning break, because they were getting covered in dust and making his eyes itch, but aside from the short tea break, he'd been working non-stop since breakfast, which was taken after his shift's first string of warm-ups around first light.

He hadn't done too badly that morning, only being yelled at twice. Once for not using blinkers on Sunshine Sweetheart, but they hadn't been on her bridle when he'd tacked her and he'd managed fine without. The second time he was yelled at, was for not holding back Deus Velo, on the track that morning. But according to Jenny, one of the other young grooms, it was a test he'd done very well at, since the dark horse was notoriously difficult to control. "You did loads better than me! Half way round the track you managed? First day here I only managed the length of the straight. I lost it on the corner down there and he dumped me in the mud!" She giggled at the memory before joining him in filling hay nets, continuing to natter away cheerfully.

Back at the hub, Owen was dissecting the slimy and almost translucent something, which they had caught that morning. The creature left a clear, slick substance on everything it touched which Jack had said it was a prized lube on many planets in the galaxy, before he disappeared into his office for a conference call. Owen just took his word for it, and tried to keep as much of the viscous fluid off himself as possible. This revelation had the added bonus of keeping the autopsy tidier, and the smell contained a little, since Owen wasn't leaving a trail of the stuff from the autopsy room to his computer and back, like he usually did as he ran various tests. The rest of the team were grateful for this small mercy. The smell was intoxicating, and slightly alluring.

After Owen had been working on the corpse about an hour, Jack had been forced to send the team outside for some fresh air. "Go and clear your heads, I can feel the sexual tension from my office." Jack had ordered, watching them all traipsing slowly to the door, as if they were high, shaking his head at their blown pupils.

TBC

Ha ha lol That was fun to write...

Wow, I have been overwhelmed with some fantastic reviews! Thanks folks. Sorry this took so long, I really have no excuse. Anyone who cares to write the team's encounter in full, with the slimy, translucent alien that morning, is welcome to it; though I've added more than I was going to so there isn't much scope. Perhaps just a fabulous name?

Carrie; )


	8. Chapter 7

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 7

_2.00 am Abergelli Farm, Swansea_

The watch on Ianto's wrist beeped a loud staccato pulse, dragging him up from the deep throws of sleep. He was exhausted. The previous day's work had been tough and since he was still trying to get back into the work, his whole body ached. Hoisting hay bales had been like carrying weevils, but the rest of it was all new to his body and he was certainly feeling the strain when he collapsed in bed each night. Now though Ianto knew he had about an hour and a half before the rest of the stable hands would be up and he needed the time to look around.

When he'd visited the hub on his first Sunday off, Ianto had had little to report aside from the general running routine of the stable complex, the layout of the buildings and this week he wanted something more beneficial to their own investigation. Jack had been far too keen to burst in, guns blazing and shut the whole place down. It was up to Ianto to find something useful and save the many jobs of the stable hands and other staff. He felt he had slotted in amongst them well enough not to draw suspicion to himself and now he wanted to explore the places he did not pass as readily on a daily basis. Like the damn 'Food Store', which Ianto was convinced would be their best source of information.

Tosh had recently pointed out that according to the scans Jack and Owen had managed, as well as the layout plan Ianto had created using the contact lenses his first week, the 'hot spot' seemed to lie behind those locked doors. Ianto was a man that knew everything, and finding something he didn't know, always made Ianto want to find out more about it. He liked to know everything. Besides, it was always nice to have one up on Jack at _something_. The man was a way too good all rounder.

-T-

Jack looked up from the report he was working on, when the sound of an activity alarm went off. He'd barely managed two hours sleep that night and so was picking up the slack Ianto had left to fill his time. His absence was certainly making the team realise just how much he did for them all. Jack made his way down from his office, over to Toshiko's computer in time to see some data scrolling rapidly up one window as increasingly more statistics were collected. At first he thought it was Tosh working from home- it wouldn't be the first time, but he recognised Ianto's signature. He focussed on a few of the lines of text and recognised them as similar to the results he and Owen had observed a fortnight before. Opening a new programme he tapped into the tracker on Ianto's PDA and watched it slowly skirting the outside wall of one of the main barns.

Ianto crept as quietly as he could, his back and left shoulder brushing along the brick wall as the scanner in his left hand analysed the area around him, chirruping quietly as it picked up spikes in the chemical it was looking for. A door creaked ahead of him and Ianto froze. Closing the scan mid sequence, he listened. Scuffed boots treading on concrete moved away from what sounded like the shed ahead of him. He exhaled a sigh of relief, until a hand from behind roughly covered his mouth, and he was hoisted sideways, loosing his footing from beneath him in the rough gesture.

As Jack watched, the green arrow representing Ianto's location stopped. Ianto, frustratingly, had forgotten to put in the contact lenses so Jack had no idea what was going on, he could do nothing but watch. The window below the tracker, which had been a scan of the area, suddenly cut out mid-flow; the programme bleeping furiously in error.

The staccato sound merely added to the Captain's frustration and anxiety.

Jack felt helpless as the green arrow on the screen suddenly jumped left, stopping about a metre away from the wall. Had Ianto been caught? His heart thudded heavily as he watched the green arrow, powerless to do anything, bouncing anxiously on the balls of his feet, the frozen text forgotten.

Ianto grunted as he impacted hard against the concrete. Instinct took over and as if he were battling a weevil in a dark alley, he rolled left and scrambled back onto his feet. The burly figure before him stood braced in the shadows, so Ianto couldn't see the face, but he was crouched in a fighting stance, fists raised.

As he stepped forward, a glimmer of light from the moon slithered from beneath a cloud, illuminating Ianto first, then his assailant. The second Ianto came into better view however, his partner was already on top of him, the weight ploughing him to the ground and knocking the remaining air from his bursting lungs. For a long moment Ianto could do nothing, but as soon as a semblance of strength returned, he was up again, a well placed foot causing the man to stagger backwards, out of reach. The advantage was short lived however, because while Ianto sent a glancing blow to the man's jaw, he hit his intended target with full force, rendering Ianto unconscious immediately.

Jack meanwhile had no idea. All he could deduce was that Ianto had been caught. And he had no clue what was about to happen to his agent. The green arrow that meant so much more to him just continued to blink in the same place on the screen and Jack continued to stare at it, mesmerised.

It seemed like an age before the arrow moved, but the last thing Jack was expecting, was the arrow moving back towards Ianto's own room. Had he managed to get away? He continued to watch the arrow when it stopped in the location of Ianto's sleeping quarters. It was stationary for about five minutes and Jack was about to shut the program, obviously Ianto must be okay now, when the arrow started to move again. What was Ianto doing?

The arrow went back to the location Ianto had been, before the signal cut out.

-T-

Ianto woke to a headache. He groaned, trying to establish what he'd done last night. When it all came back however, he sat up with a start, his head spinning. The last thing he remembered was being knocked unconscious while exploring the stables.

Ianto looked around anxiously, confirming he was indeed tucked up in his own narrow bed, before glancing round, checking that nothing was missing. Last he checked his hiding place for his hand held computer. It was still there, but his PDA was missing. Ianto checked his phone, switching it on in the morning light. The battery died. Plugging it in to charge Ianto tried once more to switch it on. As soon as the small device had enough power, it started to vibrate madly in his grasp, multiple messages arriving and missed call alerts popping up on-screen. They were all from Jack, except the last three, which were from Toshiko.

Ianto speed-dialled the hub.

Jack answered on the first ring, "Ianto?"

"Yes Jack, it's me- I'm fine."

"What the hell happened? We lost track of your PDA hours ago!"

"Really? What time is it?" Ianto discovered his watch was broken- it must have been the impact last night, he could certainly feel the tumble's other, less discriminatory effects across his shoulder and back now. His right shoulder was stiff to move and his lower back throbbed in harmony with the headache streaming across his eyes.

"It's six o'clock Ianto, now what's happening?"

-T-

"Ianto! Where've you been?" demanded Jenny, spotting his approach.

"Slept in," he muttered, rubbing a hand across his eyes tiredly.

"It's alrigh' lad, happens to the best of us. I covered for you." said Gareth, leading Swansea Lee back from the tracks. Ianto fell into step beside him, "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Yeah I didn't do any o' the stalls."

TBC

* * *

So sorry for the wait! This is a bit of a filler, but it sets up the dramatics of the next bit- it's a fight between Jack & Ianto so...  
Also, if there's any mix up between the time of day, let me know and I'll correct it? My head was teling me it should be a midnight escapade, but at stables it works better in the morning! More real soon, I'm working on it! Carrie


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_9.00am Ianto's flat, Cardiff_

Sunday morning was Ianto's designated day off. He'd not seen the walls of his own flat an entire week, and was looking forward to spending some hard-earned time back there to relax, even if it was only for the day. He was also looking forward to seeing the team, and saying hello to Myfanwy; though not so much Janet- she was more Jack's favourite. He thought he might pop round the hub that afternoon, for a couple of hours, see Jack, but for now a little spring cleaning was in order.

Ianto had barely stepped through his front door when he received a text from Jack, requesting he join the team at the hub. With a resigned sigh Ianto returned the phone to his pocket, turned around to pluck his jacket off its hook and exit his flat in the direction of his car. His neighbours must think there was something wrong- his car was rarely outside his property every night, now it had been there all week. Since he often stayed at the hub overnight or left it at the hub, while on late night rift alerts and was often dropped off direct by Jack in the SUV, the team too tired to drive themselves home. Sometimes Jack's irregular sleep patterns really were a godsend.

Ianto arrived at the hub, still feeling a little self conscious in his riding gear, but only wearing rough jeans and a hoodie this morning. Ianto went over to make his special brew of coffee before joining the Captain in his office.

"Was there something you wanted this morning sir?" asked Ianto carefully, "Or were you just missing my coffee?" He smirked.

Jack looked up from his blue and white mug, mischief simmering in his eyes, "I was missing other things too," his eyes roving over Ianto's sexy, jeans clad body and maroon, long-sleeved, fitted T-shirt. "-but more of that later. Work to do," He winked, before the mischief was gone, to be replaced by The Captain in 'boss' mode. "There's been an addition to the plan, in the hopes we can speed things up a little." Ianto sighed, his lack of information was holding the team back on this investigation and he knew it. Jack picked up a nearby file, "Mr and Mrs Harper, rich horse owners, will be the new additions.. details are in there." Ianto nodded, flicking through the file, as he sat absently down, opposite Jack.

"Tosh and Owen? Thought you'd have put Owen with Gwen." Ianto mused out loud, reading the file carefully, "You know she copes better with the incessant jibes."

"It would have been, 'cept Gwen and I went snooping round there yesterday, she got caught and they threatened to call the police."

"Thought that was you..."

He shrugged, "it means they'd recognise Gwen." Ianto acknowledged him absently, continuing to flick through the file and Jack watched him carefully with increasing trepidation.

A frown gathered on Ianto's brow and increased as he read further down the third page in the file. A page, which had a photograph of Prima Ballerina tacked to the top. "Jack-"

"I know you don't approve," Jack jumped in, "but if you just read through the facts carefully I'm sure you'll understand why we gotta do this-" Jack tried for a placatory response.

"Facts? Is that all this is about Jack? And what about the horse involved? You can't just go around buying world class stallions to ship off willy nilly to some- Some, deplorable criminal! Bella will get ruined by him! Do you have any idea what that man is capable of? Not to mention that we have no idea the effect these drugs will have on an equine immune system!"

"Owen-"

"Owen is a Doctor, Jack. Not a _vet!"_

"Ianto-"

"No Jack!" Ianto cut in sharply, "You can't do this. It's not-"

"Don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do, Ianto Jones!" Jack threatened dangerously, his voice dark. He was already feeling bad enough about what he believed had to be done. Ianto stopped, taken aback by Jack's vicious tone, he could be very intimidating when he wanted to be and right now he was exerting his case forcefully on his partner. Ianto though, wasn't buying it. This was wrong! Jack was proposing to encourage Llewelyn to experiment on Prima Ballerina and Ianto knew they would be running the risk of permanently ruining a potentially world class race horse! Ianto locked eyes with Jack, holding his gaze, hoping to catch something in Jack's unerring, steel blue eyes; the relentless coldness remained, sending a chill that rocked Ianto to the core.

Ianto's voice was deathly quiet. "Well then you can do what you like, but I'll have no part in it." Ianto said quietly, equally dangerously, before walking straight out of the hub without a backward glance.

-T-

That afternoon, Jack carried on as normally as he could. He swept through the hub towards the boardroom, a terse command for them to follow issued over his broad, fast retreating shoulders. The team walked together and huddled towards the dreaded meeting, Tosh almost shrinking past Jack in the doorway. The Captain held the meeting in the boardroom, and went over the plan with Tosh and Owen. "And you two are-?"

"Mr and Mrs Harper, owners of..." Owen frowned, scrabbling for the relevant piece of paper in front of him. Jack frowned.

"_Bella_," continued Tosh, "It's short for Prima Ballerina and we've recently bought her from Ianto's friend-"

"Dafydd Brace," interrupted Owen, "Which is Welsh for 'fat David'." Gwen scowled, trust Owen's only word of Welsh to be derogatory; Jack frowned a warning in the medic's direction. There was a pause, which Ianto would have filled timely with his dry wit, creating a fitting come-back to defend his language. He was conspicuous by his absence.

However none of the team dared to ask- Ianto's face had been as composed as ever when he had left, but his glassy blue eyes had been icy. He'd glared icicles at anyone who looked up, before he left and they hadn't dared to go after him. The Teaboy had never got this worked up over _anything _before. He was almost as scary as Jack.

The meeting quickly moved on to other things before they dispersed. Gwen leaving early, Tosh returning to her computer and Owen to his Nintendo, until Jack dropped the profile sheet he was supposed to have memorised by now over his hands. The name Prima Ballerina was circled with an angry red pen, as if Jack was taking out his anger on the information. "Learnt it."

Ianto ignored all contact from the hub for the rest of the day and returned to the stables that evening, restless and distracted. He knew he shouldn't have missed the meeting in the boardroom that afternoon- it was essential that he kept up to date with the plans that would involve him. It would also have been useful to know about the other missions that week, to make his filing easier. He sighed wearily and unpacked, before collapsing, laying face down on his bed.

A half hour later, Ianto received an enhanced audio file of the afternoon board meeting from Tosh. It had the content of their meeting, including the graphic files that had displayed on the screen as they discussed them, but no CCTV footage of the team, just their voices. Ianto was immensely glad he didn't have to look at Jack right now. He didn't think he could.

- T -

"Jones! Pay attention boy. What the bloody hell's going on with you? Move her along, you're in charge, not 'er!" Cledwyn called, the Jones boy had a reputation for being the calm quiet one, working well with difficult horses. He was supposed to be good at getting the most out of them. "You're not calming that girl, you're getting 'er even more worked up!" He yelled.

Ianto knew Cledwyn was right. As he circled the high, double-enclosed corral the horse beneath him was picking up on his tension and was playing up even more than usual. He tried to push her into a canter, and she reluctantly responded for two strides, before breaking into a tight trot, which danced almost on the spot, her hoofs snatching at the air. "Shit-" The utterance from Gareth, who was watching the whole sorry episode from the outer railings was too quiet to be heard by anyone else, but he knew what was coming. As Ianto tried again to push the stubborn horse forward, she resisted, tossing her head and yanking viciously at the reins, which slipped through Ianto's clenched, and burning hands. They'd been fighting a battle of wills for sometime and Ianto's hands were raw.

As soon as her head was free, Hucking Harkness reared high up on her back legs and Ianto desperately clung on for all he was worth. Everything slowed and Ianto's perception narrowed to the ears and flying mane contrasting with the skyline above his head. All Ianto could feel was the mount just barely beneath him, teetering precariously on a knife edge as she balanced, flailing her forelegs into the air. Higher. Higher, she went. Ianto felt the moment she lost her balance, and watched as the ground over his shoulder come up to meet him. As he crashed heavily on the turf, his head thudding to the ground, Ianto's eyes widened in terror- the body of the big horse was heading right for him!

He froze, dazed and panicking.

At the last possible second, just as Ianto's vision was going grey, adrenaline exploded through his veins. He rolled, over, and over, curling himself into a tight ball. Feeling the heavy landing of Hucking Harkness barely a foot away from him. All sound faded away into the murky distance and everything went to black...

TBC

* * *

_Is Ianto okay?_

A/N:

I'm evil. Hope this makes up a little for the lack of response this week. I'm just managing to keep a less than crazy timetable. (3 overlapping appointments? Seriously?) I've got two at the same time on Monday too! *pout* Still, I have parts of the weekend to myself, which shall be dedicated to my art. Toodles! Carrie xx P.s. this _has _had a mini re-work at the end. Dunno why, it's only a small change.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 9

_The Hub, 1:30pm Tuesday._

"Jack no! Just wait, please," Gwen implored desperately, trying to hold Jack back by the cuff of the bomber jacket he was pulling on inside out, grasping at the one sleeve he'd managed to find. His other arm was twisted up in its own sleeve, which he hadn't realised yet, was inside out. The Captain paused, making contact with the eyes of his remaining team. Owen tried his bit, "Gwen's right Jack, if you go in there now you'll completely blow his cover. At least wait 'till we get a phone call from the hospital. Then you can go up there all worried boyfriend, yeah?" With a tortured sigh, Jack relented, his tense shoulders dropping a little. Until his phone ran.

"Hello? Ianto?" The words were out of his mouth before he realised the stupidity of them. Owen rolled his eyes. Jack knew that, _of course it wasn't Ianto_, but his lover's name was at the forefront of his mind.

"Uh, Mr Harkness?" Jack realised he'd completely missed the woman's previous few sentences, or who she was. "Sorry, yes, that's me. Is Ianto okay? What happened?"

"Mr Jones has been brought into Morriston Hospital, Swansea with suspected head trauma. He took a fall-"

"I'm on my way."

"Mr Harkness is there someone-" but Jack had already hung up. "-else who could drive?" Jamelia finished her sentence to the dial tone before shaking her head. The last thing they needed was another patient because of a man frantic to see his partner! Men- they were so hot-headed.

"Owen, what the hell?" Exclaimed Jack, as Owen snatched the SUV keys, just as Jack was about to unlock the door.

"Passenger seat Harkness, there's no way I'm letting you drive in that state. Get yourself together will you? You're a mess!" It was only then Jack realised with surprise, that his hands were shaking. He must be coming down from all that pent up adrenaline. He sat, as he was told, relegated to the passenger seat, and calmed himself down considerably on the way. As Captain he needed to keep a clear head and not blow a working cover. Ianto had sent them some detailed, close-up scans from inside the feed room yesterday, while discussing his working hours with Llewelyn. He'd been very persistent, not allowing either the trainer or head groom to get a word in edgeways and kick him out.

The screen in front of Jack suddenly animated itself, loading the programmes it needed, from the computer behind the driver's seat. As Ianto's test results came in, his medical file popped up on the small digital screen. "Read it to me and I'll tell you if the Teaboy's still going to be shaggable..." Owen said absently, hitting the fast lane of the M4 motorway, the sound of a car horn blaring as usual behind him. Jack tended to be too quick off the mark to cut anybody off when he drove, but Owen wasn't so insouciant at slinging the big vehicle around. Jack started reading, not a favourite pastime while in a moving vehicle but he was anxious for news.

The first thing Ianto's brain recognised was the overwhelming smell of antiseptic. Then he heard the beep of a pulse monitor and, twitching his index finger, discovered that it belonged to him. He attempted to open his eyes, but barely managed a flutter effect before the light penetrated through his dark lashes and he groaned, screwing them shut once more.

"Ianto?" The voice sounded loud in the room, but Ianto recognised Jack's anxious tone. His arm shifted slightly on the sheets and he realised belatedly that Jack must have been holding his hand. "Mmm?" Jack's hand caressed his cheek, and Ianto leaned into the touch, eventually opening his eyes to meet Jack's. "Don't do anything stupid with the Teaboy alright Jack?" Ianto frowned at Owen. "What are you doing here?"

"I drove. Saves on speeding tickets in the residential areas if Jack doesn't drive."

"They weren't residential last I went through there!"

"And when was that? Before I left Kindergarten?" Jack scowled, as did Ianto, though it was more to do with his headache than actual annoyance at Owen. The doctor for once took the hint, leaving the room with Ianto's file under one arm.

Several hours later and Ianto was bored out of his mind. He'd tried the sudoku Tosh had given Jack, but he was struggling to concentrate and it was giving him a headache, the numbers blurring on the page. He gave up after the first block. Jack had left on a rift alert after only a few minutes of Ianto being awake. He'd promised he'd be back, but until then Ianto had been left to his own devices. He'd eaten some of his dinner, but it made the slight nausea he felt worse, so he'd quickly abandoned it. The door opened quietly and a head of dark fluffy hair peered slowly round, brown eyes meeting his.

"Gaz! What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be working?" It was about time for the evening feed.

"My day off on Tuesdays." Gareth glanced over his shoulder as the hospital door opened and Jack slipped into the room, immediately coming over to Ianto, the perfect boyfriend. Sometimes it amazed Ianto how quickly Jack could switch between personas. He could be "Captain and Head of Torchwood" one second and "Devoted lover and sex god" the next. Jack moved back, glancing towards the other presence in the room at the same time Ianto did.

"Gareth, this is Jack, my boyfriend." Ianto smiled softly at Jack who sat beside his hospital bed.

"He the one giving you all them missed calls then?"

"Yeah." Ianto sounded guilty, "I've been distracted all week."

"Don't worry mate, it weren't your fault. Cled says Hucking Harkness has been acting up ever since her race on Sunday." Jack looked up sharply as Gareth continued, oblivious. "Says it's the food mix she's been eating. Nobody blames you."

"Thanks Gaz. I'll see you when you get back tonight?"

"Yeah, that's right, see you. Take care mate."

"Uh, no you won't," interrupted Jack, "I'm sorry Ianto, but the doctors want you to stay in overnight, just to be sure. Personally, I agree with them and you can't argue- Owen thinks it's a good idea too." Ianto sighed in resignation and bid Gareth farewell until the next day.

- T -

_2.00 pm Abergelli Farm, Swansea_

When Ianto heard about the imminent arrival of Prima Ballerina later on that afternoon, he had already resigned himself to Jack's plan. He'd had a lot of time to think during his overnight stay in the hospital and before he'd fallen asleep wrapped in Jack's arms the night before, the older man had made him realise the importance of this part of the plan. Any argument he'd had could be dashed by the obvious danger presented by Hucking Harkness- the effects of the drug on these horses was dangerous, to horse and rider; no-one in the team could condone another person getting hurt. Especially one of Ianto's new friends. He had become quite fond of his fellow jockeys by now, spending so much time in their company and was grateful to Gareth, especially, for visiting him in hospital and covering most of his work.

He was brought out of his reverie by a large, expensive-looking, sleek, black horse box. It pulled to a stop at the top of the yard and Rhys Williams jumped out from behind the wheel. The horse box was succeeded by Owen Harper's slick convertible. Owen jumped from the seat and jogged round to open the door for his immaculately dressed 'wife', Toshiko, who disembarked gracefully before linking arms with Owen. The pair made their way towards the front of the sleek black vehicle, meeting Cledwin who was wiping a hand on the back of his jeans in order to shake.

"Mr Harper! Nice to meet face to face at last."

Owen shook professionally before brushing the man off, "Yeah well, the wife wanted to see it settled. I take it you have everything ready?"

"As you requested, sir." Ianto nearly choked at the formal address, there was no way anyone would say that to Owen if they knew of his prickly personality. "Ianto? Could you take Prima Ballerina to her stall, we'll come down when we've finished a few business matters." Ianto nodded, joining Rhys round the back of the vehicle to lower the ramp.

TBC

_A/n My sincerest apologies for the lack of an update recently. It's all been well planned and mostly written- It just needs me to devote some actual time to it! I need a time-turner, you know, so I can relive a few hours twice? Then I'd cope! lol Thanks for your continued support. Enjoy and I shall endeavour to upload the next bit sooner. *Hugs* Carrie ; )_


	11. Chapter 10

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 10

A/n Martha Smith is sitting beside me being a slave driver. She's chained me to the desk. No sign of the whip. Yet. Is this a good thing? Is it bad? I just don't know! Anyway- On with the show...

Chapter 10

_The Hub, Monday pm _

"Owen, how's it going with that antidote?" asked Jack, as he crossed Owen coming up from the autopsy bay as he was headed towards it. Owen held up a finger in Jack's direction in his sign language for _hold on a sec. _Jack fell silent, watching as Owen adjusted one of the ingredients he was working with before setting the virtual experiment running. "It's a working progress, Jack, but I think we're getting there. You said that stuff is addictive yeah?" At Jack's nod, Owen indicated a second screen beside the one he had just been using, his mouse disappearing off the right of the first screen and reappearing on the left one.

"I've managed to cancel out the effects of three out of four of the addictive agents, but the fourth is proving tricky. You see, I could cancel it out with Tyaselium but that causes the other effects to flare up again. I'm working on a possible delayed reaction or self replication effect-" Gwen interrupted Owen's sermon mid flow as she as she headed for the Archives, several files in her arms. She paused at his desk. "D'you think you could stop with the gobbledegook and try a little English?" She took a file off his desk as she left the main part of the hub, tossing final words over her shoulder; "even Welsh would be easier."

"Hey! Sometimes a little techno babble is good for the soul!" Jack retorted loudly. "Thanks Owen," He replied more quietly, with a pat to the Doctor's back. A move he would never attempt were the others able to see the pair of them. He left the Doctor to his work and went to check on Tosh. An alien cleaning agent in a special containment bottle had come through this morning, so she was helping with Owen's work load attempting to open and test the ingredients and Gwen was doing Ianto's work, filling and attempting to keep the place tidy. Jack just had to keep the diplomats and weevils happy and out of trouble and the troops on task without coffee. It was a tough ask.

- T -

Later that night, after yet another board meeting before the team left for the night, Jack was optimistic. Owen had achieved his task for the day- he'd consummated a working formula to act as an anti-dote and would work one up tomorrow. Tosh had managed to safely attain a sample of the cleaning agent, which she was now running a battery of tests on, having left it to work overnight. Jack glanced around before going up to his office- the hub was even quite tidy. It wasn't as immaculate as Ianto always managed to make it, but it was tidy, no teetering piles of files or take-away cartons lying around. Jack sat behind his desk and faced the computer, glancing at the clock before accessing the program he wanted.

_Ianto?__ U awake?_

Ianto started blinking blearily at the ceiling, he must have drifted off for a bit. He sat up with a grunt, staring round his tiny bedroom.

_Ianto?_

"Mmm?"

_Heat is on 2morrow.__  
PM racing Thurs.  
Have antidote_

Ianto blinked dimly a few times, the words obscuring his vision slightly, before reaching the ensuite bathroom. "Couldn't you just text me Jack?" he asked staring into the mirror and feeling like a little bit of an idiot.

_& miss C-ing u?_

"You're not missing much, I haven't even showered yet."

_Waiting for me? ;)_

Ianto rolled his eyes, but Jack could see the smile building at the edges of the young man's lips. "Maybe..." Ianto considered it, he could have some fun with this...

- T -

Next morning, Owen, who was nursing a celebratory hangover and a few tender spots from the night before, decided that Jack was far too chipper for the time of day and therefore it was his turn to get the coffee. Jack was willing to get out for a bit and he'd even have the chance to flirt with one of Ianto's admirers in the coffee shop. He jogged up the stairs and was just in time to hold the door open for Gwen, who was on her way in.

"Chivalry get's you everywhere Jack." Gwen said with a smile, before leaning over the desk to press the button hidden there. Jack took a moment to appreciate the view.

"Excellent bottom." He winked, before leaving, Gwen rolling her eyes at his retreating back before ducking through the secret door. Both were smiling.

TBC

Hey folks. It's me. I haven't died- unless exhaustion counts? This jumps around a little, but I'm trying to reach a conclusion here so I can do coursework & uni stuff without feeling so bloomin' guilty. :s My creative writing teacher says abandoning you for a bit is better than writing rubbish and just posting it, so I hope you don't mind the wait. If there are bits you're not sure about PM me & I'll try to get back to you soon.


	12. Chapter 11

*Celebrates wildly* Okay, I finally got this bit up. It's five to one am now & not only have I not showered & washed my hair, I have an interview & jazz from 10am to 4pm tomorrow (today) Wish me luck & please do review if you get a chance! Also, a special Kudos to those of you on mobile devices reading this! It's a wonderful thing, reading fanfic on the bus... Anyway! I'm rambling, goodnight! Enjoy! Carrie ; )

* * *

**Hucking Harkness**

Chapter 11

_8 am Abergelli Farm, Swansea _

Ianto was just wiping all traces of his bacon buttie from his mouth as Llewelyn walked into the large open part of the barn. Breakfast had been an informal affair; with the grooms helping themselves to a high pile of bacon and sausage baps as soon as they'd finished the first string of horses to be warmed up. All the grooms were present, and Llewelyn whistled sharply for their attention.

"Right, I've called you all here, to discuss who's at the races on Thursday- Jenny you're grooming for Swansea Lee, first race of the day, Billy you've got two mounts now- Harkness in the 2:20 as before and Bella at 5:30, Gareth, you still in charge of Moon-"

Ianto zoned out slightly, staring vaguely at Llewelyn's lips, so that the team at the hub could know what was planned, but only half listening. As a new groom he was listed to stay on the yard and do the horses not racing. It was a disappointment for him, since the whole team would all be at the races, but it couldn't be helped. "Ianto-" The young jockey started slightly at his name, before meeting Llewelyn's brown eyes, "Yes, sir?"

"Mr Harper called this morning- he wants to see some results. I've entered Prima Ballerina into the stake race, with Billy Harris on board, but I want you to look after her. You'll be coming with us- think you can manage that?" Ianto was surprised, but nodded; he would be in on the team's action after all. "Harper's coming round this afternoon, so we'll just breeze her round nice and easy then, for his to see- don't want his little Bella over doing it before the big race." He smirked, glancing at his head groom with a glint in his eye before going back to his list. Ianto made a mental note of the gesture, spotting Cledwin's smirk before he focussed once more on Llwelyn. "Eli you've got Blue in the 12:10-"

That afternoon when Owen pulled into the yard, his Boxster struggling over the uneven ground, he looked more like his usual self, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, but he'd donned a cap for the occasion which complimented his cockney accent and image nicely. He also acted bored the whole time, lamenting that "The wife was too busy to come see the nag herself." which gave him the perfect alibi as 'the husband with the money who knew nothing of the sport' and Ianto was immensely grateful he'd not tried to fit in. The horse world was one where you couldn't just learn enough to fool people. Trainers were savvy, they'd spot a fool a mile off- and rip them off too. That was the last thing Torchwood needed- he did the accounts! Although to be fair, Jack _had_ cut down on the bribes to security guards recently...

-T-

"Owen, could you at least have changed your shoes?" sighed Toshiko, as she clutched her scarf and small, matching purse, in one hand, her other hand holding a large, matching pale green hat to her shiny dark hair. Owen just scowled, before catching sight of a similarly dressed couple, arm-in-arm. He held out his hand to his 'wife'. "Can we just go, please? Jack would've got here hours ago the way he drives."

Jack and Owen had both driven up to the races. Jack in the SUV with Gwen; and Owen and Tosh in his blue Boxter. They'd all left Cardiff that morning, relieved to discover that there was no predicted rift activity for the rest of the day. Though Jack wasn't taking chances , and had alerted UNIT that they were out of town on a case. They'd seemed strangely more than co-operative for once, when Jack had said they weren't going too far.

Now that they'd arrived, the team were gathered discreetly in the SUV for a last minute meeting. When Tosh and Owen arrived, she spotted Jack had a pair of binoculars out, but he wasn't watching the races. Owen slammed the heavy door behind him and Jack started slightly before clearing his throat guiltily. "Owen, you're playing the owner here, as well as vet so I want you and Tosh to stick together, okay? Go and make yourselves known in the boxes, mingle a little. Gwen and I will scout out where Ianto is, and make good on the plan. Fourteen hundred hours: Owen, you take that blood sample from _Hucking Harkness_, leave Tosh in the box if you have to. Gwen and I will meet Ianto, and establish comms. before we split up and follow Llwelyn and Cledwyn. All clear?"

"Yes, boss." replied Owen in a bored tone, before putting a prepared syringe in one pocket and their tickets for the box in another. Toshiko checked their guns were loaded before handing one to each of the team. Jack re-checked his own weapon before holstering it smoothly at his hip.

-T-

After taking his blood sample Owen just made it up to the boxes before Hucking Harkness was due to race. The horse's blood work was running in the SUV and Jack would get an alert on his wrist strap and Toshiko by mobile when it was finished. They'd have to rely on Jack to tell them the results though, since the text would simply alert them that the test had completed.

The race was just about to begin, all the horses gathered at the start line and under starters orders. There was a slight delay with one horse on the outside edge, but the jockey quickly managed to settle them before there was a slight pause, and as the start shot went off, the commentary started...

"They're off! Action Impact has made a strong start, with Tanley close behind and Geester and B-King following. Harkness is at the back, with Wall Street and Crystal just ahead. Ain't She a Lady and Katchit are in the middle of the field and Katchit just passing Lady now. Both are ahead of Wall Street, and Crystal Runner, and Harkness is coming from the rear fast, passing Wall Street and Crystal, and look at Harkness go! She's flying up the field! She's passed Tanley and is now passing Action Impact, and into the lead! They're coming to the finish line, what an incredible finish! It's Hucking Harkness first, Action Impact second, Tanley a strong third, Balthazar King beats Geester, and Katchit to finish fourth, with Crystal Runner coming in last. What a fantastic result!

"And Hucking Harkness is true to form, coming flying up the rear of the field, ladies and gentleman, it's a second wind trainer, Llewelyn is- Oh! What's this? Harkness is showing no sign of stopping there. Harkness is really fighting to keep going. Oh my goodness! Harkness has just thrown Billy Harris off!"

Owen could only watch in horror as the jockey was thrown into the air and landed roughly against the fence, with a practically audible crack. He swore as the jockey then tumbled, at an incredible rate across the grass. Owen didn't notice his and Tosh's mobiles go off, he just continued to watch the jockey. His instincts had taken over and he was nothing more than a bright green and yellow ball.

"Owen!" He glanced away, meeting Tosh's anxious face, she had her PDA in her hand now. "Jack's got the results, we've gotta go." For a moment Owen just stared. Tosh had been so completely absorbed in the results and talking to Jack, that she'd completely missed the after race action. He glanced towards the track again, but the jockey was now surrounded by medics and Hucking Harkness was struggling against three handlers on ponies. With a sigh Owen relented, following Tosh out of the box.

Once safely in the SUV Jack waited for silence to fall amongst the team before clearing his throat; Owen was retelling the story of the fallen jockey to Gwen in all its gory detail.

"We've got a problem." Jack announced gravely.

* * *

Evil I know, but I love you all! & it's not as bad as you all think. Really. CJH4ever (Jay) A special thank you, I hope you like your input! & Vertigo Sway I think it was... there's another Red-herring for you- or is it? ;p Cx ? Five- *coughs* I have... *squeeks* Fifty reviews?! The mind boggles... Thank you so much guys!! Wow... *daydream believer...* Thank you so, so much!


	13. No Chapter

A/N.

Yes Jack, Torchwood team, readers; we have a _big_ problem. Okay *looks guilty* we have one or two more than one… Mainly: THIS STORY IS REFUSING TO BE WRITTEN! And, basically, it's frustrating the hell outta me. Not because I have no plot. No- in fact I've known how this was gonna end before I posted the very first chapter those many moons ago and I even have the plan for the next chapter & the one after that (which might spill into two...) up to the end. I have the words *Wrap up* prominently written on the screen in front of me. But… there are issues.

It's like… When you're reading a piece of fan fiction, and it's a scene between two characters; Jack & Ianto for example, and you read something that a character says, and you know It's Jack- because it's a response to what Ianto says or something, but this is put to the test when you read the next line _Ianto said. _Because suddenly your views are challenged. And you go, _hang on- but it can't be… Ianto asked… _So- you read it again. You go back and you re-read the paragraph, and suddenly it all makes sense and you know what's happened- it wasn't your understanding that was flawed, it's just a typo- easy enough to make when it's just two people in a room. The writer simply put the wrong name there.

Now you can safely read it as _Jack said _and it makes sense! (Bare with me, the point is coming..)

Well, that's what I've done. Except it was with quite important _characters. _Hucking Harkness, the horse, and Prima Ballerina. And suddenly because I have no beta those fateful words issued by Jack are all wrong. That chapter was posted and I _can't_ write the next bit like "that", because it won't make sense! You, as the reader will get confused… And I can't just change the names, because there's a whole time frame & story arc that revolves around significant events involving one or both of these two. My story is/ will be damaged.

*sigh*

So! Few options:

Can you finish this for me? No- I don't mean write it, I can still do that bit, but you readers have been here a while now, and you might not have a *how* but you've got a pretty good Idea of the ending. I mean, come on- Torchwood, alien threat…

And maybe you even have an idea how you expect me to get there. So! PM me, throw ideas at me- because obviously you've all read this with the flaw (my apologies). I've read it _without_ the flaw- because OMG: I missed it. Plank. (me that is, not you...)

So: can you see an end in sight? PM me about it! Perhaps it won't be the disaster it looks like to me. It's almost depressing to be honest.

Or

A Beta! I'm calling… I have said plan. I have what has been posted. I have 'The Finish'. HELP!!! Lol If you have the time, please contact me via email or PM and help me get this written? Put 'BETA' in the subject heading. I do want to finish it for my readers…

So! Sorry, no next chapter. Yet. But it will be here. Soon. I pwomise! Pwease forgive me? Ta folks *grins happily*

I will also be bugging other people to help me in order to get this written. he he Creative Writers beware ;p

TTFN Folks!  
Carrie ; )


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